Pokemon: Freedom Fighters
by Igilix
Summary: Squirtle woke up with no memory into a world that is cruelly ruled by an order of evil Pokemon. But when a group of mysterious Pokemon help him out of a desperate situation, Squirtle is thrust into a civil war between those fighting for freedom, and those who want to suppress it.
1. Chapter One

Dawn had not yet come. The blue-gray color of the sky peaked through the gaps forest canopy, giving a faint, gray light to the forest floor.

A Squirtle lay on the dirt, half hidden under a bush. With a faint movement, he opened his eyes and sat up.

"W-where am I?" he asked quietly, his voice croaking.

There was no answer. Not that he was expecting one, but still... the forest seemed unusually quiet. Shouldn't there be some Pokemon in the forest? Anywhere?

With a thumping head, the Squirtle got to his feet. His knees wobbled and he took a step, immediately tumbling back onto the ground. Grunting noisily, he picked himself back up and took a small step. And another. And a third. He leaned against a tree for momentary support, and then let go and started to walk, slowly, forward.

"Let's see," he said after a minute. "Why am I..." He didn't even need to finish the sentence to realize he didn't know what he was doing in the forest. Blinking, he searched in his mind to think what he had been doing before he'd woken up.

But his mind was eerily empty.

The Squirtle's eyes widened and he gasped. "I-I don't remember anything! Who am I? What's my name? Where am I?"

The shock would have been much more severe if the Squirtle hadn't stopped before he could say anymore. A bush behind him rattled and he spun around. A flash of orange caught his eye and he warily took a step backwards. A second later, the head of an angry-looking Charmeleon rose from the leaves, staring at the Squirtle with narrowed eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "Get off the road!"

At first, he did nothing, wanting to know why the Charmeleon was in the bush. But when the Charmeleon flicked his arm forward, beckoning the Squirtle to hide, he slunk in a bunch of ferns behind him and noticed that he had, in fact, been walking on a road. A uneven but clear dirt path wound through the trees.

The ferns brushed at his face as the Squirtle crawled into a concealed position under him and he raised an arm to brush them out of the way, but then he heard a voice and stopped.

"I'm telling you, I saw something moving!" came an irritated, gruff voice.

"Cube, you always see things," replied a second Pokemon, the pitch suggesting that it was a female.

"Shut up, both of you," growled a third on, this Pokemon appearing to be the leader. "Ratti, Cube might have seen something, so stop being annoying about it."

"I'll look ahead," a fourth voice said eagerly. A few seconds later, the Squirtle heard pawsteps and a sniffing noise.

_A dog Pokemon, _he said to himself.

The sniffing stopped, as did the footsteps of the three other Pokemon.

"What is it, Pooch?" said the leader.

"I...I smell something," he replied. "Some thing almost like...fire."

Squirtle looked through the fronds and saw the Charmeleon's eyes widen from across the road.

"Check the bushes," commanded the deep voice.

"Yes, sir!" said Cube. Squirtle saw two orange-brown feet appear in front of Charmeleon's bush and tried not to gasp.

Charmeleon roared and leaped out of the bush, blasting a mouthful of fire in Cube's face. He kicked the Pokemon over and then screamed, "Squirtle, run!"

Without thinking about it, Squirtle jumped up from the ferns and sprinted after Charmeleon, catching a glimpse of a Cubone, a Ratticate, a Mightyena, and a Poochyena. Then he turned around and focused on what was in front of him.

"Get the Squirtle!" screamed the Mightyena.

At the sound of his name, Squirtle ran even faster, catching up with Charmeleon, who was flying through the trees.

"Off the road!" yelled the fire Pokemon, veering into the undergrowth. Squirtle skidded to a stop and then bolted after his accomplice.

A spurt of fire brushed past Squirtle's head and he looked over his shoulder, seeing a trail of smoke floating over the running Poochyena. A strangle sensation started to form in Squirtle's stomach but quickly moved up into his throat. Not knowing what he was doing, Squirtle opened his mouth and watched in surprise as a ball of water shot out of it and struck the Ratticate in the face.

"Don't stop!" informed the Charmeleon, ducking under a branch.

Confused yet impressed, Squirtle dodged another one of Pooch's attacks and slid under a fallen tree. Behind him, the Poochyena tried to stop but its momentum made it keep on moving. With a loud thud, it rammed into the wood.

Squirtle jumped over a rock and started to run down a hill. As he ran through tangling ivy, his foot slipped under one of the tendrils and he fell forward, skidding down the hill and crumpling into a heap at the bottom of the slope.

Charmeleon whipped around and ran over to him. "Come on," he urged, a worried town in his voice. "Get up!"

As Squirtle clambered to his feet, his back and arms aching, there was a loud bark and he momentarily froze in fear before turning around to see the Mightyena leaping down the hill. The Ratticate scurried behind him with the Cubone right behind her. Lastly, the Poochyena came limping down the slope.

Charmeleon started to open his mouth, but the Mightyena growled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he muttered. "Four Pokemon against you and a companion who can't even control his own powers. Where do you think that battle will go?"

Suddenly, Squirtle felt very small and guilty. If anything happened to this Charmeleon, it was his fault. After all, the Charmeleon was only trying to help him out and Squirtle had nothing to give in return, seeing as he had no clue how to fight. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's fine," replied the Charmeleon, but Squirtle could tell it wasn't.

"Seize them," ordered the Mightyena. Cubone and Ratticate began to move forward and Squirtle braced himself for the worse.

Then, much to his shock, a voice whispered, "Need some help?"


	2. Chapter Two

Squirtle, a spark of hope kindling in his stomach, turned around and saw a Scyther standing in the shadows.

"That would be nice," muttered Charmeleon, his feet shifting nervously as the Cubone raised his bone.

"Well you got it," said the Scyther. He hopped out of the shade and landed on the Cubone's head, slashing it with his blades.

Charmeleon whipped his tail at the Ratticate and jumped aside as the Poochyena lunged at him. Squirtle dodged away from the flying dog and headbutted him as he hit the ground. He scrambled backwards and watched as a Vulpix sprinted out of the bushes and tackled the Poochyena.

"Follow me!"

Charmeleon and Squirtle, who had ended up back together, saw a Pidgeotto perched on a branch. Glancing at Scyther, Squirtle saw the Pokemon beckon for the two of them to leave as a Houndour pounced on the Mightyena. Squirtle turned and waddled into the undergrowth as the Pidgeotto swooped down and began to soar through the trees.

"Just keep watching for me," he said, "and then we'll meet back up with Hounder, Scythe, and Vulp."

"Who are you guys?" asked Charmeleon, appearing beside Squirtle.

"I'd like to know that, too," he said. Squirtle was pretty confused, seeing as how these four Pokemon had come out of nowhere and helped them escape from a gang of evil Pokemon. He wanted to know why, how, and who they were.

The Pidgeotto flew up through the branches and came back down, gliding alongside the duo.

"You'll find out soon enough," he answered cheerily before shooting on up ahead.

Charmeleon grumbled and flames shot out of his nose as he stopped running and narrowed his eyes. Squirtle turned around and said, "Come on. We'll learn everything in a few minutes."

"Whatever," growled Charmeleon.

They followed Pidgeotto as he swooped, flipped, spun, and weaved around the trees, always looking back to make sure Squirtle and Charmeleon were still following him. Squirtle's legs were getting tired and he was hoping a chance to stop would come up soon.

And it did. About five minutes later, the Pidgeotto drifted into a clearing hidden behind hanging ivy and stopped at a pond. Squirtle came to a halt beside the water and eagerly waded into the crisp pool, his hot body cooling down.

Charmeleon sat down on a rock at the edge of the water and dipped his feet into the pond. "So, answers," he said gruffly.

For the first time, the Pidgeotto's happy expression faded. "Patience," he returned sharply. "I need to go check on the others."

With that, he jumped up and flew over the forest.

Squirtle looked at Charmeleon and shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait a bit longer."

The fire-lizard shrugged. "I'm just curious, that's all," he replied quietly, looking down at the water.

However, to Squirtle it didn't seem as if Charmeleon was just curious. In fact, he seemed a little worried about something. But what could it be?

"Are you okay?" ventured Squirtle, crawling out of the water. "You seem...antsy."

"I'm fine," snapped Charmeleon. "I just want to know what's going on."

Taken aback, Squirtle said, "Well, why don't we guess what's going on."

Charmeleon said nothing. He just swung his legs, kicking out fat drops of water.

Sighing quietly, Squirtle decided to keep trying to make conversation. "Maybe they're a group of friends who saw that we needed help," he began. "Or maybe they patrol the forest in search of trouble. Or what if-"

"It's neither of those," interrupted Charmeleon.

"Then what is it?"

He shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait a bit longer," he replied mockingly.

Squirtle narrowed his eyes and then looked away, thinking. Charmeleon was right, even past the rudeness. Those Pokemon were probably not just random people; they seemed to know exactly where the Mightyena and his friends were going, and when to step in and help him and Charmeleon. He frowned, trying to imagine what they could possibly have been tracking those four Pokemon for.

"I'm Leon, by the way," Charmeleon said after several minutes of silence, snapping Squirtle out of his thinking. "That's my name."

"Oh," said Squirtle, unprepared. "I'm...uh...I-I don't know my name."

Leon gave him a sideways look. "How do you not know your own name?"

"Just a few minutes before you told me to hide," explained Squirtle, "I woke up in the forest with no idea where I was, what I was doing, or who I was." He looked at the ground, part embarrassed and part sad.

"Why don't you give yourself a name?" asked Leon.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It's your name."

For a moment, Squirtle processed what Leon had said. Then he began to think of all the names he could possibly think of. And those names happened to belong to the other Pokemon he'd recently come in contact with, so none of them would do. But then, as he racked his brain to create a name for himself, a word came to mind.

Squirt.

A warm feeling blossomed in his chest and he smiled. "Squirt," he said. "That's my name. Squirt!"

Leon's mouth twitched. "That's a nice name for you," he muttered. "Nice to meet you, Squirt."

Squirt beamed at Leon. "Nice to meet you to, Leon."

The whole situation was now flipped over since Squirt had found his name. Although he couldn't tell before, it didn't seem as if he had a purpose, but now it did. All because of his name.

The ivy at the edge of the clearing rattled and Pidgeotto flew through them, closely tailed by the other Pokemon. The Houndour had a bump on his head, the Scyther had scorch marks on his face, and the Vulpix had a few chunks of fur ripped off and some teeth imprints on her face. All in all, Squirt thought they'd escaped with few injuries.

All three newcomers, as soon as they arrived, looked over and glared at Leon. Squirt narrowed his eyes, wondering why.

Leon hopped off of the rock and came up beside Squirt. "We'd like to know who you are," he said impatiently. "Why did you save us?"

The Houndour stared at Leon. "It almost sounds as if you're complaining about us saving you from potential death," he growled, baring his teeth.

"We probably could have fought our way out of there," Leon replied, but Squirt knew no one in the clearing, not even himself, believed that.

The Scyther looked over his shoulder. "Otto, did you see anyone while you were flying?" he asked worriedly.

The Pidgeotto shook his head. "Only the four you'd defeated. I think those all ten of us are the only Pokemon in the forest, Scythe."

Scythe clapped his blade hands together in response before looking over back at Squirt and Leon. "So you want answers, huh?"

They both nodded, staring directly at the large bug Pokemon.

"Well, then, we better get moving," he said, "because it might take a while and we don't want to be sitting down."


	3. Chapter Three

Scythe walked over to the pond where a large bunch of ferns growing out of one of the huge rocks stood. He pushed apart the green fronds, revealing a dark tunnel entrance. The Vulpix went in first, igniting the tips of her tails as she entered. The Houndour followed, closely tailed by Otto. Scythe beckoned for Squirt and Leon to go in before him. Squirt thought it was probably because he didn't want the two of them to run away.

"What is this?" asked Leon, looking around.

"A tunnel," replied the Houndour simply.

Leon rolled his eyes angrily but said nothing in return.

"Listen up if you two want explanations," said Scythe.

Squirt was already listening for Scythe to say something, but it was obvious Leon wasn't until he started to talk.

"Three years ago, a Charizard gathered a following of other Pokemon, all sorts of types. Pikachus, Houndours, Arons, Onix, Geodudes, almost ever type of Pokemon there is. A few types of us, however, stayed completely clean, not losing a single one to this new group.

"It started off with a small group of them stealing some necessities from Pokemon's homes. We thought it was nothing, just some mischievous Pokemon trying to terrorize locals. Those of us who were worried about the well-being of the land didn't think anything of it.

"But then the bad stuff began to happen," continued Scythe gravely. "Every week or two, clusters of Pokemon families living together started to get raided. In the middle of the night, probably a dozen members of this new group would attack these settlements. Very few would survive, and it was those survivors that started to spread the word."

"Just a few short weeks after the first raid, families living with other families would move in with groups just like theirs to reinforce and protect themselves. The raids started to occur more often, and they grew worse and worse. They were publicized and violent. Fear and panic started to spread and Pokemon started to talk about fleeing or moving together with hundreds of others."

Scythe paused to catch his breath. Squirtle's mind was racing. This story was awful. Hundreds of Pokemon had died because of this one Charizard and his allies. Why was it doing this to other Pokemon?

"So a lot of us gathered together to discuss it. Over one thousand Pokemon gathered by one of the large lakes to talk about it. I was there, and so was Otto and a few others we know. After waiting for a few hours, some of the more influential Pokemon began to present ideas to us all.

"Everything went wrong once the Charizard showed up, his army of nearly five hundred other Pokemon in tow. Over the past six months since the first attack, all sorts of Pokemon flocked to him, whether they were people looking for mischief way in over their heads or criminals and wrongdoers.

"They slaughtered the six Pokemon speaking to us and then the Charizard stood on a rock and proclaimed himself leader of the land. He explained that anyone who tried to resist him would be killed alongside their families, but people who just went on with their lives would be able to stay safe.

"After a few minutes of silence, nearly a dozen Pokemon tried to attack him, all at once. That's what set him off. He ordered his army forward and they stampeded into the crowd, being to cut down anyone in their path. Otto and I were both next to each other when it happened. We fought back for a bit, but once we noticed that it was not going our way, we fled. Of the thousand that were there, I'd say about a hundred and fifty of us escaped.

"Otto and I stuck together, hiding in the wild, spreading word to any Pokemon we saw. It was after our fourth month of traveling that we heard about the Resistance.

"Following the genocide, a small gaggle of Pokemon banded together and found a hiding place where they began to secretly resist the Charizard and his army. By helping others out of tight spaces and sabotaging small bits of the army's movement, they made themselves known to the world. Pokemon began to trickle in to join. At the beginning of the genocide, there were nine Pokemon. By the time we arrived after four months, it was numbering up to three hundred. But unfortunately, Charizard's army has also swelled to nearly two thousand. He commands every one of the psychic Pokemon and he uses them to control other people to become part of the army.

"So that's who we are," concluded Scythe. "We're part of the one resistance that is trying to fight against Charizard and his wicked Pokemon. We were in the forest tracking that small band of his army to see what they were doing, and once we spotted them chasing you, we decided to stepped in. But that was a very bad representation of what Charizard's army is like. Those four Pokemon are probably new recruits, barely knowing what they are doing. It's a crazy world out there, and you were lucky it was that Mightyena and his friends that found you, not some of the others."

"I heard there was a Primeape that wiped out fifteen Pokemon all on his own," said Otto. "But then the next day, he gathered a couple of his 'friends' and raided a large group and killed them all, too."

"It's terrible out there," Vulp muttered. "Pokemon die everyday, and we are fighting against a growing and much stronger opponent. It's a losing battle."

Otto shook his head. "Don't say that, Vulp. We can still win this."

"Thank you," Squirt said suddenly. "You saved our lives. Without you, I wouldn't be here."

"What were you even doing out in the forest?" asked Hounder.

Squirt shrugged. "I have no idea. I woke up with no memory whatsoever."

"That's strange," said Scythe. "Very strange."

"It might have something to do with you being a Squirtle," said Vulp.

"Why?" asked Squirt quietly.

"Once the rebellion was formed, there were a few types of Pokemon in which every single one fought against the Charizard," Vulp explained. "Not one went over to his side. And so to get rid of this threat, he ordered all of these types to be eliminated. It was chaos. Pokemon of those types were forced to go into hiding, but they were found within months. The Charizard set all his forces against them."

"Squirtles were one of those species," Hounder contributed. "We believed them all to be gone. You, Squirt, are the first of your kind seen in nearly two years."

Squirt blinked, his heart racing. He was alone. There were no more Squirtles left in the world. There weren't even memories of these other Squirtles to comfort him. He literally had nothing. At all.

"I'm sorry," Vulp whispered as she looked back and saw Squirt hanging his head.

Squirt didn't reply. Instead he tried to block out all the despairing thoughts from his head and focused intensely on the dark floor in front of him. He counted his steps in his head and he quickly found out it was a good way to keep other thoughts from getting into his mind.

The rest of the journey, everyone was quiet. Vulp kept glancing back at Squirt, but he just ignored her and kept counting his steps.

_7,894...7,895...7,896... _he counted after well over an hour of traveling. Although it was keeping other images out of his brain, Squirt couldn't help but start to feel very weary from counting nearly 8,000 steps.

"We're almost here," Scythe muttered once two hours had passed.

Squirt looked up and saw a shaft of light poking through a hole at the end of the tunnel. Scythe pushed past the others and walked up to the stone, tapping on it three times with his blades.

"Tauros venom," he whispered through the crack in the tunnel.

There was silence, and then a rumble as the rock blocking the exit began to roll away. "Welcome to the Ikono Resistance."


	4. Chapter Four

His eyes wides, Squirt stepped onto a large ledge and looked around. He was standing on the side of a cliff, looking out over a beautiful cove. A large beach, well over five hundred feet long, stood nestled between two cliff walls coming together at a corner. Sparkling blue water lapped against the sand and the rock walls. Trees, bushes, and moss grew out of the walls. Dozens of cave entrances with flames shining above the holes. Wide paths traced down the cliff face, all leading down to a large scoop out of the beach with a rock sticking out of it. Squirt could easily envision a Pokemon standing atop the rock with hundreds gathered in the hollow.

"This is amazing!" he gasped.

Scythe nodded. "And safe, hidden, and peaceful," he said. "The leader of the resistance used to come here when he was younger. Once Charizard attacked, he gathered some of his companions and fled here. When other Pokemon began to arrive, he had some of the rock type form a huge wall at the mouth, only opening at the bottom for water Pokemon to get in and out."

"Also, he used some plant Pokemon to grow massive trees to arch over the bay to hide the cove," muttered Hounder.

Looking up, Squirt noticed that the light in the cove was dappled and dim. He looked up and saw branches and leaves sprawling above the bay. He smiled and turned back towards the other Pokemon. "This leader is smart and crafty."

Otto shrugged. "He has to be to have created a resistance that has survived this long."

"Let's take them down to the main cavern," said Vulp. "Squirt and Leon can...meet the leader." She gave a hasty, worried look at Scythe and immediately turned her eyes away, but Squirt saw it. He narrowed his eyes and found the comment and glance a bit disconcerting.

In silence, the weary group set off down the cliffside on a sloping path. Another, smaller team of Pokemon passed them on the way up. The Bellsprout, Spearow, Ponyta, and Grovyle all looked well rested and ready for traveling. Squirt longed to be able to sink into a comfortable bed and fall asleep, but he knew he had to meet with this leader.

Scythe led them off of the path and onto the beach. They trekked across the sand and then entered a sloping tunnel just beside the scoop in the ground that had a few dozen Pokemon just hanging out. After a few moments of walking, the tunnel began to turn and it stopped at a wooden door. The Scyther walked up to the door and tapped it with his blades before stepping a few feet back.

A calm, pleasant voice rang back from inside the room, surprisingly female. "Who is it?"

"It's Scythe," replied Scythe. "Leader of Cloud Team," he added hastily.

"Come in," replied the voice.

Scythe opened the door and stepped back to allow the other Pokemon to pass through. He caught eyes with Squirt and Leon and looked at both of them. "The Chief can be fickle. Watch your words."

A nervous feeling settling in his stomach, Squirt nodded, but Leon just gave a grunt and they all stepped inside.

The room was spacious. At one side was a table and a few chairs, and on the other wall were a few cabinets. Beside the door was a small bed and at the end of the room, a curtain of moss hung over a hole. Squirt could see a hint of the bay through the moss and wondered if that curtain led out onto the ledge above the gathering scoop.

A large Golduck stood beside the table. There was a fearsome look in its eyes, also mixed with curiosity, intelligence, and loyalty. It took a few steps forward and its eyes clouded over in anger.

"What is a Charmeleon doing here?" it asked ferociously. Squirt recognized the voice and realized this Golduck was the leader of the Ikono Resistance. Then he processed the question and blinked a few times.

"We found him in the woods, along with this Squirtle," replied Scythe.

Squirt looked over at Leon with a confused expression. Leon didn't notice him; he just stared forward with anger on his face.

"But why is it here?" rephrased the Golduck, her eyes narrowed.

"There was no choice but to bring him here," Scythe said.

The Golduck looked over at two Machops standing against the far wall that Squirtle hadn't noticed when he walked in. "Take him to the dungeons."

Squirt's heart skipped a beat and he jumped in front of Leon as the Machops advanced. "Stop!" he cried. "Why are you taking him to the dungeons?"

The Golduck turned her gaze to Squirt. "Step out of the way," she ordered sternly.

"No," Squirt replied defiantly, his face hot with anger. "Not until you tell me why are you arresting Leon."

"Step out of the way," she repeated calmly.

"No." They locked eyes. As they stared into each other, Squirt started to feel fear bubbling up in his stomach, but he knew he had to stand his ground.

After nearly a minute of silence, she broke eye contact. "Isn't it obvious? Ever since the takeover, we have been imprisoning all Charmanders, Charmeleons, and Charizards we can find, for their protection."

"Why?" asked Squirt, his shoulders relaxing but his anger still there.

"Because of the Charizard." Squirt turned around to face Leon as he answered his question. The Charmeleon looked at Squirt and sighed. "They think that because one of my kind is the leader of their enemy, I'll join him and fight against them."

"That's insane!" exclaimed Squirt, rounding on the Golduck. "That's injustice. Leon saved my life, and he fought bravely against some of Charizard's army."

"That doesn't mean he won't be influenced to join the other side," the leader of the resistance replied. "It's safer here. He won't be attacked by the usurpers and be forced to join their side."

"If it's safe, then let him fight!" exclaimed Squirt. "It's not fair to keep him or any of the other Charmanders, Charmeleons, or Charizards locked up because of what one of their kind did! Why don't you just arrest everyone who is part of a species that has a member fighting for Charizard?"

The Golduck narrowed her eyes. "Who do you think you are?" she hissed. "My soldiers save your life in the middle of the woods and you come in here telling me what to do? I don't think so. This Charmeleon is going with all the others whether you like it or not!"

His breath ragged, Squirt glared daggers at the Golduck and said, "Then you'll have to go through me before you can get him!"

Before the Golduck, Scythe, or any of the others could respond, Squirt felt Leon tap his shoulder. "Squirt, don't do this," he said. "Don't get thrown in some cell because of me. Stay here and fight, because the sooner you get it over with, the sooner I'll get out of jail." As he said the last words, he stared hatefully at the Golduck before turning back to Squirt and giving him a weak smile.

At the nod of the Golduck, the two Machops grabbed Leon and started to drag him out the door.

"Stop!" cried Squirt. "You can't do this!"

"Squirt," came the calming voice of Vulp. "It's okay. Just settle down."

Squirt stood there for a moment, looking out as the tail flame of Leon vanished around the corner and then nodded. He turned back and shuffled to the middle of the other Pokemon in his group.

"You're definitely an unusual Pokemon," said the Golduck. "There's something about you that rings of...power. I like that."

"Why?" retorted Squirt quietly. "So you can use me to fight?"

She ignored him. "I think I might like you eventually," she continued. "You're obviously powerful, you're loyal, you're fierce, and there's a passion inside of you I think is great. And you are the last Squirtle seen within two years."

"Well I doubt I'll ever like you," Squirt muttered.

"Hmmm..." she replied. The Golduck turned to face Scythe.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Will he be good for the resistance?"

She nodded. "Of course. Now, I'm trying to think of which team. Possibly Hydro Team or Sunken Team. Maybe Showers Team or River Team," she listed. "But I don't think he'd fit in those. They are all rather powerful and have enough members, and I don't believe he would do well in a group composed of all water Pokemon."

Squirt saw Scythe's drooped shoulders lift at the denial to him joining those teams and the Squirtle wondered why Scythe seemed happy about this.

After several long moments of silence, the Golduck nodded. "I can see you want him on your team, Scythe," she uttered. "And I was also thinking your team needed a new edition. He will join Clould Team." She turned towards Squirt and breathed deeply. "That is, if you agree to become part of the resistance?"

Squirt already knew what he would say, but he was curious. "Will I be allowed to leave if I say no?" he asked.

"You know the answer to that."

"Then you must know the answer for me," Squirt responded.

"As the leader of the Ikono Resistance, I place this Squirtle onto Cloud Team. Until your team is either destroyed, disbanded, or merged, or until I specifically move you, you will obey all commands by the leader. Do you agree to these terms?"

"Yes."

"Then you are now part of Cloud Team." The Golduck blinked twice and then walked back over to the table. "You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Chief," Scythe said earnestly. "Very much. It means a lot to me."

"Mm-hm."

Smiling widely, Scythe looked back at Squirt, Otto, Vulp, and Hounder and they walked out of the room shutting the door behind them. Scythe pulled Squirt aside and looked down at the turtle Pokemon.

"Welcome to the team!"


End file.
